Truth be told: Where've you eaten lately? (Part 2)

[Foodie in Vancouver]

My last 3 meals were at Lumiere, Cru and Parkside

The Lumiere experience is reported elsewhere (I have no idea how to do that clickety thing) so won't repeat it here save to say that of the 3, the Lumiere dinner is in the Number 2 spot. Bringing up the rear was our meal on the patio at Parkside. There were 6 of us and we went as a celebratory meal with Parkside as my choice of venue and we were the hosts. Service was lacking, barely above non-existant. We were on the patio and seemed to be off everyone's radar that night. I have been to Parkside many times so this was a real shock for me. Food unfortunately followed suit. My starter was the heirloom tomato salad. My work schedule has prevented my from getting any of Milan's tomatoes myself so this was a clear first-choice. Unfortunately, they seemed lacking in flavour - what I was anticipating was the wonderful sweetness of the tomatoes we had had at the UBC OIF meal. Not so - bland and cut very thickly with some equally flavourless olive oil. I despararately wanted some salt but couldn't attract any of the waitstaff and didn't want to stand on the table.

On to main course - seared tuna. Done a little too much for me - I prefer it on the sashimi side and as tender as sashimi. This was dense and cooked well done for at least a 1/4 inch on each side. And it was only 3/4 to an inch thick to begin with. The accompanying fries were pale and very soft - there were about 6 of them in a log cabin style. 2 of our guests had the halibut which was largely uneaten. Even I could see that it was not moist. The ostrich seemed to have been a better choice as it was finished. I had the marscapone canneloni for dessert which was fine but a little sweet for me.

For wine I had the Blue Mountain Pinot Noir to start with while half the table had cocktails. Barely managed to get the second glass - finely got someone's attention and it was served as I finished my main course. All in all dinner took over 3 hours due to the slow service. We were frozen by the end of the meal.

The service and the food was definitely an anomaly as I have been to Parkside many times both for business and with friends. I will go back if only to prove that this was an off-night. It was quite off putting as I had gone on and on to everyone about how wonderful the food was.

Our favorite of the 3 meals was the Cru Riesling dinner. Perhaps not a fair comparison as it is a special event meal. The first of the 4 courses was seared scallops served with a curry beurre blanc and a tamarind sauce. Exquisite - scallops were sweet and perfectly seared to a firm crust and tender inside. The second course was seared foie gras served with roasted peaches. My version of heaven and well worth a prescription for Lipitor. Dana knows how to get that wonderful brulee-like crust on the foie gras with the melting interior. This will be on the menu for my last supper. The next course was veal tenderloin served atop pulled breast of veal. The tenderloin was delicate and the pulled breast (one of the people at our table demanded to know where the breast is on a veal - clearly the effect of 7 tastings of riesling and 3 additional glasses with dinner) was almost a braised flavour. Dessert was a nectarine claflouti served with Riesling ice wine. This was the second time Mark has featured Riesling and again I was reminded of what a wonderful wine it is. I need to buy and serve more Riesling.

[Viola da gamba]

Sigh - due to water pipe problems (it broke) and septic problems (it broke) and having to set up a new office (the old one closed - 5 weeks' notice - I hate my life) it has taken forever to get to three. Sadly, this is more of a warning than a paean to excellence. For those of you who may, for whatever reason, be coming up this way - do not eat at the Aspen - think Denny's at twice the price and 1/2 the service. Seriously - since when did it take an hour to scramble some eggs? And the hash browns were crunchy - not in the good, fried way, but in the raw, uncooked way. Blech. Be warned.

Otherwise - ate at the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair on Saturday - the Legion was barbecuing beef for beef on a bun (pretty tasty with the dipping sauce, which was pretty well dripping), and gave us the trimmings (10 pounds worth) to take home for the dogs - so I cannot say anything bad!! Put all that meat through the grinder - what is it with people turning down fat, skin, etc. - mmmmm, flavour - and am now thinking of the plethora of things I can do with ground bbq beef.

Quick trip to the Alpenhorn (pub) on Wednesday - they're doing a wild mushroom ravioli in a roasted orange/chipotle sauce that is really good.

[snacky_cat]

Stopped by Mouse and The Bean for lunch today, as I waited for the consignment store around the corner to process the 87 items of cast-off clothing I brought down. I keep forgetting to bring my glasses when I come to this place, as the menu is painted on terra cotta dishes placed wayyyyyy behind the counter. As a result, I only ever end up ordering one menu item - the chicken and mushroom quesadilla. It's quite delicious - wonderfully crispy with good fresh filling. No greasy cheese pools anywhere in sight.

Dinner yesterday was take-out from Rangoli. Mr Cat loves Vij's but abhors a line-up, so we finally gave Rangoli a try. We had the Khalonji Chicken Curry and the Punjabi Daal over some homemade rice (with a little butter, salt and cumin). The chicken curry was good, though the "toasted onion" flavour promised on the package was lost on me. It also had "orange fat blob-itis", which is my all-encompassing term for those little clear pools of orange-red-tinted oil/butter/grease that form on top of pepperoni pizzas and in the bottom of many Indian dishes. These little fat blobs sit high atop my list of most feared things in the world, falling only behind clowns and birds, so I skipped most of the sauce and stuck to the chicken. The Punjabi Daal was awesome - the flavours were great, as was the added heft given by beans and other chunky bits of vegetable goodness.

Breakfast that morning was at Seb's, and I had my favourite breakfast dish - their bacon and caramelized apple omelette. The sweetness of the apple combined with the salty, piggy goodness of bacon is unbeatable. I also love the Seb's toast and preserves lottery - you never know what breads and what type of preserve you'll be getting, but you always know it's going to be good. Yesterday's bread was some sort of browny grainy yummy thing, and the preserve was homemade marmelade. It was so delicous, I smeared it all over my breakfast potatoes too. Mmmmm.

[sugar plum]

Last night we went to C for the first time. My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists. I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned.

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites. It did not however and the food was just mediocre. I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side. Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi. While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent.

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests. After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

[nwyles]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

[sugar plum]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

←

Now looking at the website, it WAS Albacore. That's reassuring. Thank you! Despite that, I wasn't impressed at all. I had about 5 scallops (again covered in PARSLEY) for the bargain price of $37!

[Leonard]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Sugar Plum,

First of all, I would like to thank you for your comments. I was disappointed to read that your experience was not perfect. In regards to your visit, I would love to talk to you, so I may have a better understanding of your expectations so that we may be able to improve what we do in regards to delivering the proper guest experience for our customers.

Sincerely,

Leonard J Nakonechny

C GM

[Leonard]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

←

Neil,

It was Albacore tuna.

Leonard

C GM

[Leonard]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

←

Now looking at the website, it WAS Albacore. That's reassuring. Thank you! Despite that, I wasn't impressed at all. I had about 5 scallops (again covered in PARSLEY) for the bargain price of $37!

←

Sugar Plum,

I wanted to pass on some information that you may be interested in. The scallops that we use at C are called Kagan Bay Scallops. They are a local, sustainable BC product. You may have noticed that the size and taste were different then your average scallop. These scallops are flown in once a week from the producer. If you have the time, please check out the following link for additional information on our restaurant and the Vancouver Aquarium's Oceanwise Program.

On a side note, the dish is not served with 'parsley'. It is served with 'peppercress'.

If you have any questions or need any information please don't hesitate to contact me at 604-681-1164.

Sincerely,

Leonard J Nakonechny

C GM

[sugar plum]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

←

Now looking at the website, it WAS Albacore. That's reassuring. Thank you! Despite that, I wasn't impressed at all. I had about 5 scallops (again covered in PARSLEY) for the bargain price of $37!

←

Sugar Plum,

I wanted to pass on some information that you may be interested in. The scallops that we use at C are called Kagan Bay Scallops. They are a local, sustainable BC product. You may have noticed that the size and taste were different then your average scallop. These scallops are flown in once a week from the producer. If you have the time, please check out the following link for additional information on our restaurant and the Vancouver Aquarium's Oceanwise Program.

On a side note, the dish is not served with 'parsley'. It is served with 'peppercress'.

If you have any questions or need any information please don't hesitate to contact me at 604-681-1164.

Sincerely,

Leonard J Nakonechny

C GM

←

Dear Leonard,

Thank you for your response. I'm fairly new here and I wasn't aware who posts/lurks. Knowing you'd be reading, I would have censored my thoughts a tad?!! How embarrassing!

There was so much buzz about your restaurant that we may have gone into it with unrealistic expectations. I've eaten at other fine dining locales (Sooke Harbour House, Bearfoot Bistro, Lumiere) and the service at C was on par with all of the above.

My disappointment was in the food alone. I contemplated ordering the tasting menu or a "taster box" and I should have for a more rounded dining experience at C. I'm not a seafood connoisseur, in fact, I've just returned to an omnivore status from being a vegetarian for the last decade or so. Perhaps, I'm the last person who should be reaming off their opinions on seafood! I did however, enjoy the taste of the scallops but the peppercress threw me off as well as the olive side. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

I wasn't aware of the restaurant's committment to sustainability. That, I assume, drives up the prices?

[nwyles]

Thank you for your response. I'm fairly new here and I wasn't aware who posts/lurks. Knowing you'd be reading, I would have censored my thoughts a tad?!! How embarrassing!

You have no need to be embarrassed, nor should you consider censoring your thoughts. This board is the perfect place for interaction between restaurant professionals and the dining public. Everybody has a chance to be heard and respond if needed. I hope you can take Len up on his offer to discuss as I know he is fully committed to his staff, restaurants and guests.

I for one think it is great that "C" is able to respond and an interaction can begin. We have seen other restaurants discussed here without any response and we are all poorer for it.

[Leonard]

Last night we went to C for the first time.  My friend and I are trying to work our way through the "must-eats" of Vancouver and C was on both our lists.  I wish now we would have opted for Diva at the Met as we had originally planned. 

We had heard that although C being a fine dining restaurant, it was supposed to have large enough portions to satisfy our respective partners "healthy" appetites.  It did not however and the food was just mediocre.  I had seared scallops with artichoke chips (the whole thing was then covered in what looked and tasted like parsley..eeegaads!) and a dollop of chopped green olives on the side.  Mr. Sugarplum had the ultra rare Ahi Tuna (it was a funny colour, not the usual pink I'm accustomed to), my friend had the Queen Charlotte halibut and her boyfriend had the salmon with goat cheese gnocchi.  While the food was disappointing, the service was excellent. 

I was hoping to find C to be a reliable seafood choice when entertaining out of town guests.  After my experience last night, I think my search continues...

←

Just briefly : Was your tuna perhaps Albacore tuna ? It is not the same bright red that you would normally see. I have seen pieces that are very light in colour, sometimes slightly beige for lack of a better colour word. This would be more in line with their Oceanwise program.

←

Now looking at the website, it WAS Albacore. That's reassuring. Thank you! Despite that, I wasn't impressed at all. I had about 5 scallops (again covered in PARSLEY) for the bargain price of $37!

←

Sugar Plum,

I wanted to pass on some information that you may be interested in. The scallops that we use at C are called Kagan Bay Scallops. They are a local, sustainable BC product. You may have noticed that the size and taste were different then your average scallop. These scallops are flown in once a week from the producer. If you have the time, please check out the following link for additional information on our restaurant and the Vancouver Aquarium's Oceanwise Program.

On a side note, the dish is not served with 'parsley'. It is served with 'peppercress'.

If you have any questions or need any information please don't hesitate to contact me at 604-681-1164.

Sincerely,

Leonard J Nakonechny

C GM

←

Dear Leonard,

Thank you for your response. I'm fairly new here and I wasn't aware who posts/lurks. Knowing you'd be reading, I would have censored my thoughts a tad?!! How embarrassing!

There was so much buzz about your restaurant that we may have gone into it with unrealistic expectations. I've eaten at other fine dining locales (Sooke Harbour House, Bearfoot Bistro, Lumiere) and the service at C was on par with all of the above.

My disappointment was in the food alone. I contemplated ordering the tasting menu or a "taster box" and I should have for a more rounded dining experience at C. I'm not a seafood connoisseur, in fact, I've just returned to an omnivore status from being a vegetarian for the last decade or so. Perhaps, I'm the last person who should be reaming off their opinions on seafood! I did however, enjoy the taste of the scallops but the peppercress threw me off as well as the olive side. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

I wasn't aware of the restaurant's committment to sustainability. That, I assume, drives up the prices?

←

Sugar Plum,

C is about offering a complete dining experience. When a guests overall experience is not perfect, it concerns us. We spend a lot of time training our staff to become 'tour guides' for the restaurant. It is our goal to guide you, the guest, to make sure that the right choices are made based on your likes and dislikes.

Thanks again for the comments. I will be bringing them to our management meeting on Friday.

Sincerely,

Leonard J Nakonechny

C GM

[vanderb]

Finally able to eat out again after 2 weeks fighting viruses for customers. I won't regale anyone with tales of vending machines and crap takeout as it is too depressing.

Saturday night, Canmore, Alberta - Quarry Bistro. I've heard a fair bit of hype over both Quarry and Crazyweed but on Saturday we were only able to get on the patio at Quarry so there we stayed. Had a very memorable meal with friends... started with seared sea scallops with spinach, carrot and pickled onion slaw and homemade pickled ginger. Excellent dish wish I hadn't shared with my SO. Followed this with a very nice buffalo burger on ciabatta bun with a side of yam and potato fries. This was accompanied by my latest favorite find, Vinho Verde. This Portuguese wine is excellent, very young, fresh, low in alcohol and with a small amount of champagne like bubbles. This can be consumed all night on the right patio.

Lunch today, Viet sub from Thi Thi... can't go wrong with the combo super sub (sate chicken and beef) with all the veggies, cilantro and birds eye chilies.

This weekend we're off to the mountains for camping in Kananaskis. There will be cold Japanese soba noodle salad w/ tuna, campfire vegetable soup and likely a night of spicy tofu dogs. There may even be a beer or two consumed in honour of Labour day.

[Zucchini Mama]

Quote from Vanderb: "Finally able to eat out again after 2 weeks fighting viruses for customers. I won't regale anyone with tales of vending machines and crap takeout as it is too depressing.

Saturday night, Canmore, Alberta - Quarry Bistro. I've heard a fair bit of hype over both Quarry and Crazyweed but on Saturday we were only able to get on the patio at Quarry so there we stayed. Had a very memorable meal with friends... started with seared sea scallops with spinach, carrot and pickled onion slaw and homemade pickled ginger. Excellent dish wish I hadn't shared with my SO. Followed this with a very nice buffalo burger on ciabatta bun with a side of yam and potato fries. This was accompanied by my latest favorite find, Vinho Verde. This Portuguese wine is excellent, very young, fresh, low in alcohol and with a small amount of champagne like bubbles. This can be consumed all night on the right patio.

Lunch today, Viet sub from Thi Thi... can't go wrong with the combo super sub (sate chicken and beef) with all the veggies, cilantro and birds eye chilies.

This weekend we're off to the mountains for camping in Kananaskis. There will be cold Japanese soba noodle salad w/ tuna, campfire vegetable soup and likely a night of spicy tofu dogs. There may even be a beer or two consumed in honour of Labour day."

Vanderb,

Curious as to whether you've chowed down in Bragg Creek. My sister lives in Canmore (where I love to visit Bernie's Bavarian Bakery). She says Infusion in the Creek is amazing, but we somehow manage to miss it every time I visit. Heard anything about it?

Somehow, I'm dissappointed you're not spit-roasting a bison on your camping trip. You would have made eGullet history!

Happy Trails,

Zuke

Edited August 31, 2005 by Zucchini Mama (log)

[vanderb]

Zucchini Mama, I too have heard many good things from freinds about Infusion in Bragg Creek but we don't get out to the Elbow Valley too often. We're either in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (not too many dinning out choices), or on our way to the Revelstoke area. BTW if you are passing by Field, BC on your way anywhere east or west bound stop at Truffle Pigs Bistro. They are making some incredible food in the high Rockies. On a summer's eve you can sit on the patio sipping fine Okanagan wine, observing the staggering view of Kickinghorse Pass, while they BBQ a beautiful bison ribeye for you. Some of the best meals of my short life have been up there.

With regard to spit roasting bison over the campfire... I do make a campfire bison meatloaf and it's darn tastey. I'll consider spit roasting the bison but only if I have a protective bear proof fence and a supply of hardwood to do the job right

I should make more of an effort to get to Infusion, I'll add it to my calendar.

[butter]

As per Keith Talent's advice, chose not to spend $30 going to the PNE and went to Gyoza King instead - Tofu salad with "secret" dressing. Can someone tell me the ingredients to this dressing? Really like it. Ramen with soya based soup, my hubbie thinks it's a very traditional Japanese taste, the best he's had in Vancouver. Chicken wings, a little too sweet for me, but very crispy skin. Considering this restaurant's name, the panfried pork gyoza were a let down. They resembled frozen gyoza that can be bought at any grocery store. The meat didn't smell or taste like pork. (I've had good gyoza here before though.) At 9:30 p.m. it was full and the 30 min. wait for a table was spent on the bench outside watching the Robson St. cat walk. Once inside, service was as usual very efficient and attentive. Sign on window says they are looking for staff, if anyone is interested. Bathroom is a bit scarey though.

Octopus' Garden - 7 course "yama" omakase menu, $55. (Which luckily for me turned into 9; staff made a few mistakes.) Wished I had brought my camera. This was a very enjoyable meal. Knew a few of the ingredients that would be used, but every dish's preparation was a surpise along with the presentation. I like their sushi a lot, but from now on I'm going with the omakase choice. It was fun!

Steamrollers on Broadway - I usually don't go to franchises (except Dairy Queen for banana splits), but this one was surprisingly good, despite the weird aroma when you walk in. Counter person was very enthusiastic about explaining their product as too much orange signage was overwhelming me. Took two wraps to go...I had a vegetarian deluxe, and the Mr. had a basic chicken. Mine was better as it had salsa in it and a garlic/yoghurt sauce. It's nothing that can't be made at home, but for a quick bite, it served a purpose. Not outstanding, but practical. It seems to be a healthier choice than McDonald's.

[peppyre]

I finally made it to Vera's last week. I was moving and it was late, but I have to say it was one of the best burgers that I've ever had. I will definitely be back.

Saturday evening, after moving furniture all day and then having to stop and go to the airport and pick up my Grandma, we were both starving and I suggested Stella's. We had the endive salad with blue cheese and a cranberry dressing. Fantastic. The duck duo, we both really enjoyed the crispy duck confit and both found the sausage to be a little salty and not as good. We also had the tandoori beef skewers. They were good, but I don't know if I would order them again. I am just so happy that I can take my 81 year old grandmother to Stella's and know that she really enjoyed it.

Today for lunch I stopped at Falconetti's after a wander through the new 'hood. I had a chorizo. Wow! It was fantastic. There wasn't much fat at all and it had the right amount of spice. The buns that they use are really tasty as well. I will be back for more.

[ja_rtw]

Got to try out two restaurants this week that i've very much ben looking forward to, Lolita & Nu Both restaurants were quite busy on the nights that I went ..

Friday - Dinner @ Nu, loved the decor & the design, it feels more like a NY or London lounge. The bar is one of the coolest I've ever seen in vancouver - it's circular & rotates =) Overall very friendly service, and excellent dining experience for me & my date. Highlights for the evening included the liquid cheese filled crackers - more of a bite-sized puff pastry, topped with a square of bacon ( i think the cheese is a cheddar). Very tasty, and certainly hits the cheese craving! Also very much enjoyed the duck confit & foie gras croquettes, also very cutely bite-sized portions - they were airy little pockets of tasty goodness, even though i didn't find the flavour of the foie gras particularly outstanding. I also liked the bone marrow, served with sea salt & a salad of apple & poppy seeds? I've only tried chinese style bone marrow in soup before, so this was an interesting experience. The texture of the bone marrow reminded me of mashed potatoes - creamy & subtly flavoured, I enjoyed it more with a sprinkle of the sea salt. The chilled savoury clams were sweet & refreshing, and a good portion for $7.80. Another good dish was the mushroom & brie puff pastry tart ( they had a fancier name for 'tart', i forget what it's called). The tart was a little bit overcooked, but the mushroom filling was nice although I couldn't really pinpoint the brie flavour. Also tried the beef tartare served with toast points, and the deep-fried oyster served with a pipette (sp?) of beer. It was a bit too awkward for me to manuveur you're supposed to suck on the pipette after you've popped the oyster in your mouth. Even though we only ordered one oyster, someone generously noticed that we were sharing every plate and brought us a second oyster for us to enjoy

And the desserts ! I tried the creme brulee, and the lemon tart served with creme fraiche & blackberries - loved them both ! And at $4, the perfectly sized proportions were a great way to end the evening. The waitress told us that none of the desserts are kept overnight, which is good to know =) This place is open until 1 am on the weekend, and i'll definitely be back for more desserts & the fun bite-sized dishes ..

Thursday - Dinner @ Lolita, great ambiance - it feels like one of those hidden gem restaurants that you discover on vacation in a small mexican town. Homemade ginger beer was very refreshing. Had the wild mushroom & goatcheese quesadilla, which turned out to be more of a starchy enchilada wrapping than a quesadilla - enjoyable nonethless. Also had the tacos, you're given a choice of two fillings - I picked the steak and anchiote chicken. The chicken was my preferred out of the two, juicier & tender. It's rare to feel like you've eaten a healthy meal after going for Mexican, but this place manages to achieve it =). Also couldnt resist trying the lime & guava cheesecake, I was hoping for more of a guava flavour but it still made for a good dessert.

Wednesday - Dinner @ Shanghai River. Just wanted to report that they ripped us off $4 on the san jeen bao (steamed juicy buns with pork) - the waitress insisted that we ordered the crab san jeen bao, since that's the ONLY one available at dinner ( so not true, we pointed out the pork version we ordered on the menu to her which didn't sway her in any way) Couldn't taste any crab ( apparently there's very "little" crab in them), ended up paying the extra $4 anyways, sheesh

Off to the Taiwanese fest tonight at Plaza of Nations, hope there's some good snacks to munch on there !

Edited September 3, 2005 by ja_rtw (log)

[Bux]

Please note that we've removed a number of off topic posts from this thread. This forum is for discussion of food and restaurants in Western Canada. Posts on meals eaten in other parts of the world need to be made in the applicable forum. Each regional forum is dedicated to the discussion of food and restaurants in that particular region. Social gossip and stories of personal incidents are largely off topic in all the regional forums. At Arne's request, we've done some housekeeping in this thread. Please cooperate and see to it that Arne can enjoy his vacation and that he doesn't have to worry about a lot of unnecessary work to do when he returns.

[Leonard]

Got to try out two restaurants this week that i've very much ben looking forward to, Lolita & Nu  Both restaurants were quite busy on the nights that I went ..

Friday - Dinner @ Nu, loved the decor & the design, it feels more like a NY or London lounge.  The bar is one of the coolest I've ever seen in vancouver - it's circular & rotates =) Overall very friendly service, and excellent dining experience for me & my date.  Highlights for the evening included the liquid cheese filled crackers - more of a bite-sized puff pastry, topped with a square of bacon ( i think the cheese is a cheddar).  Very tasty, and certainly hits the cheese craving! Also very much enjoyed the duck confit & foie gras croquettes, also very cutely bite-sized portions - they were airy little pockets of tasty goodness, even though i didn't find the flavour of the foie gras particularly outstanding.  I also liked the bone marrow, served with sea salt & a salad of apple & poppy seeds? I've only tried chinese style bone marrow in soup before, so this was an interesting experience.  The texture of the bone marrow reminded me of mashed potatoes - creamy & subtly flavoured, I enjoyed it more with a sprinkle of the sea salt.  The chilled savoury clams were sweet & refreshing, and a good portion for $7.80.  Another good dish was the mushroom & brie puff pastry tart ( they had a fancier name for 'tart', i forget what it's called).  The tart was a little bit overcooked, but the mushroom filling was nice although I couldn't really pinpoint the brie flavour.  Also tried the beef tartare served with toast points, and the deep-fried oyster served with a pipette (sp?) of beer.  It was a bit too awkward for me to manuveur you're supposed to suck on the pipette after you've popped the oyster in your mouth.  Even though we only ordered one oyster, someone generously noticed that we were sharing every plate and brought us a second oyster for us to enjoy 

And the desserts !  I tried the creme brulee, and the lemon tart served with creme fraiche & blackberries - loved them both ! And at $4, the perfectly sized proportions were a great way to end the evening.  The waitress told us that none of the desserts are kept overnight, which is good to know =) This place is open until 1 am on the weekend, and i'll definitely be back for more desserts & the fun bite-sized dishes ..

Thursday - Dinner @ Lolita, great ambiance - it feels like one of those hidden gem restaurants that you discover on vacation in a small mexican town.  Homemade ginger beer was very refreshing.  Had the wild mushroom & goatcheese quesadilla, which turned out to be more of a starchy enchilada wrapping than a quesadilla - enjoyable nonethless.  Also had the tacos, you're given a choice of two fillings - I picked the steak and anchiote chicken.  The chicken was my preferred out of the two, juicier & tender.  It's rare to feel like you've eaten a healthy meal after going for Mexican, but this place manages to achieve it =).  Also couldnt resist trying the lime & guava cheesecake, I was hoping for more of a guava flavour but it still made for a good dessert.

Wednesday - Dinner @ Shanghai River.  Just wanted to report that they ripped us off $4 on the san jeen bao (steamed juicy buns with pork) - the waitress insisted that we ordered the crab san jeen bao, since that's the ONLY one available at dinner ( so not true, we pointed out the pork version we ordered on the menu to her which didn't sway her in any way)  Couldn't taste any crab ( apparently there's very "little" crab in them), ended up paying the extra $4 anyways, sheesh 

Off to the Taiwanese fest tonight at Plaza of Nations, hope there's some good snacks to munch on there ! 

←

Thank you for the comments.

See you soon,

Leonard

NU GM

[rm_blizzard]

Yesterday was a two family PNE day with kids. None of us (except the kids of course) were interested in eating midway food, so we decided to go for dim sum before hitting the fair. Went to East No. 1 Seafood Restaurant at First and Renfrew where our friends are regulars. We are dim sum rookies, but our friends run a chinese restauarnt so they did the ordering and we had quite an adventure - curried squid, deep fried taro root with pork, ducks feet, braised short ribs, sticky rice, pork buns are some of the dishes I can remember.... there were too many dishes to remember them all. Total bill for six came to $35 before tip. I think most everything on the menu as $2.50 except for some of the larger plates. We really enjoyed it. No idea how this place compares with others in town, but it was packed and there as a line up the whole time we were there.

After an afternoon of rides we decided to head off site again for dinner. This time we walking up Hastings a couple of blocks to Slocan to a Vietnamese place called Bao Chau where our friends are also regulars. We shared an excellent bowl of pho (grilled chicken with lemongrass in a beef stock) and a combination plate which came with two large, crisp spring rolls filled with ground pork and a skewer of chicken. The dinner also came with a salad roll pre-wrapped in plastic (?) Had it for a snack tonight - not bad. Dinner for two about $15 before tax & tip.

Today we tried Go Fish for the first time. I had the fish tacones, wife and son split halibut and chips. Halibut and chips was definitely the better choice - lightly battered fish, nice size portions. My tacones were very skimpy on the fish and quite bland tasting. Bit of a letdown after reading all the positive remarks on this board.

Tonight after a day of school supply shopping we stopped for a quick meal on the way home at Presto Cucina on Marine Drive in West Van. Pretty decent thin crust pizzas and pasta at a reasonable price in a semi fast food kind of environment. You order and pay at the counter, take a number and food is brought out to your table. There are definitely better choices in the neighbourhood though.

[Yuki]

Wednesday - Dinner @ Shanghai River.  Just wanted to report that they ripped us off $4 on the san jeen bao (steamed juicy buns with pork) - the waitress insisted that we ordered the crab san jeen bao, since that's the ONLY one available at dinner ( so not true, we pointed out the pork version we ordered on the menu to her which didn't sway her in any way)  Couldn't taste any crab ( apparently there's very "little" crab in them), ended up paying the extra $4 anyways, sheesh 

Off to the Taiwanese fest tonight at Plaza of Nations, hope there's some good snacks to munch on there ! 

←

Actually I was at Shanghai River around a week ago and they only have the crab san jeen bao on the dinner menu. Since our relatives told us that their crab pastry are not that good so we asked for the regular version but was told that the regular version is only available during lunch time. I don't blame them for selling the more expensive food during dinner time, but I guess they should at least put some crab in it?

I think that you have mistaken something, san jeen bao is pan fried buns and not steamed juicy buns. If you want the steamed juicy buns, then it is called xiao long bao. They have both the regular and crab xiao long bao in the dinner menu.

[makanmakan]

so far, the weekend has been an outstanding one for eating out!

friday night, 5 friends and i decided to do a little bit of a progressive dinner. started off at C for drinks and appies. i started with the most delicious lemon drop (certainly rivals my other favourite one at Parkside!) and between all of us, we ordered 2 of the appy tasting boxes. oh my god, my tastebuds were singing all night! it all came in a cool tiered box and they generously divided the soup into little individual cups for us. it was a chilled sweet english pea soup, with a dollop of organic yoghurt and a huge chunk of lobster. the soup was sweet, but not too sweet, definitely hilited the taste of fresh english peas. loved it! the next part was the dungeness crab salad atop sliced watermelons and a dollop of coconut cream. the watermelon was the perfect accompaniment to the richness of the crab, also very delicious. next tier was the bc spot prawn salad in a sweet chilli sauce. the sauce was so good i started to sop it up with my bread. perfect heat and sweetness, the prawns were so fresh and cooked to perfection. next up was the smoked salmon terrine, i think that it had layers of herbed goat cheese between the salmon and cucumber jelly strewn over it. by this time, we were on our second bottle of wine and i couldn't remember what exactly was in the terrine! a sunny evening, great table outside, great service and food. this was my first time to C and i am looking very forward to having another special evening there.

next up was taking the group to NU, just across the way. i didn't realize how close the 2 restos were, and apparently, they share the same wine cellar! wow, what a cool looking resto. the decor is very different from anything else we have in this city. i kind of felt like i was in a very cool retro uber yacht! loved the chairs inside, even though i didn't get to try it out, apparently, they're very comfy! anyways, onto the rest of the evening. i loved the menu, it's interesting and very intriguing. we finally decided on a few starters and we all ordered our own entrees. after reading some of jamie's and others' reviews, there were a couple of things i had to try out. the oyster....crispy fried oyster with a shot of granville island lager. i thought i was fun and very tasty. the oyster was fresh and full of flavour and the little bit of beer was a good match to it. i could have definitely had some more of this! next was the goat cheese stuffed chicken wings. these were definitely a hit! they were like little chicken wing popsicles. crispy, very juicy and tender inside and sitting on a sweet chilli sauce. i think i could bathe in this sauce. it was definitely my favourite flavour for the whole night. i love that it's also a mess free way of eating wings too. my main was the halibut, sitting on swiss chard, with sliced chorizo and clams. it was good, very clean flavours, very simple. the halibut was cooked to perfection, often i find halibut to be overcooked but this was done medium rare, i believe and it was perfect. the chorizo was yummy too. we also had some little cheese gourgieres (i think) brought to us and they were little puffy, light, cheesy treats! thank you! someone ordered the chicken ballotine on mashed potatoes and it looked amazing, as did the ravioli. the service was wonderful, again, like C, and we had a great evening. you also can't beat the view from our table, granville island, all lit up, the sunset, and the boats going by. thank you, leonard, our guests had a great time, and i can't wait to go back and try out more of the menu.

last night, we had a late night at the media club, and were starving after. went to an old haunt, samurai sushi and had a little feast. i love this place, a great value and the food is so good. we shared the spicy tuna sashimi, agedashi tofu, nabeyaki udon and the prawn gyoza. all were very tasty and perfect way to end the evening.

next up, today at the pne!! i think i need the stretchy waisted pants today

[CanadianBakin']

My husband and I don't have the priviledge of eating out much but we decided to take a trip to Yaletown to visit Neil's Hamilton Street Grill on saturday. You guys keep posting about the hangar steak and gingerbread pudding so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

We started with prawns wrapped in phyllo and stuffed with mascarpone, etc. They were excellent. They had a particular flavour that I only remember tasting at an authentic Chinese restaurant. Can't tell you exactly what it was but it made me want more. We also tried the much acclamined yam fries since it will be awhile before we can go back. My husband expecially liked these. A really nice change from regular fries.

Next, we both order the hangar steak and were not disappointed. WOW! What great flavour and texture and the peppercorn gravy really complimented it.

And of course, the gingerbread pudding. Again, you guys were right. It's wonderful. I wasn't as keen on the pumpkin icecream but that's just a personal preference. I'm not a wine drinker but my husband enjoyed an after-dinner scotch.

All in all a great experience. Great atmosphere, and our server (aka Barrett) was great as well. I'm sorry we didn't get to meet Neil but maybe next time. There will definitely be one.

Edited September 6, 2005 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[gerald]

Hi guys;

friday lunch- Vera's (okay so I know that it doesn't really count but I had to try something new) the "triple header" a beef patty with cheddar, turkey with provolone, and lamb with feta, an 18 oz monster I had to eat it as fast as I could so I could finish it.

Saturday Dinner-HSG, had the scallops and prawns appy, steakhouse salad, and flat bread, all exceptional, had the infamous hangar steak (great), wifee had the halibut and chips (okay so I had the hangar steak and half of the halibut) she thought it was great, the yam fries were just right. coifed a 1/2l of foch nice. Great meal, good to see neil, won't be so long till the next time.

Sunday Dinner- order in from szechuan chongqing, ginger beef (my fav), lemon chicken, prawns with black bean sauce. IMO the best chinese in town.

monday breakfast- ginger beef hash, made it myself, at home (okay again I know it does not count but damn it was good)

Edited September 6, 2005 by gerald (log)